TSUNAMI's effects on the green

28 APRIL 2008

For an example of how the environment effects a tsunami, the environment has to be in precise conditions for a tsunami to occur. A tsunami does not just happen out of the middle of the ocean, something has to cause it. On the simplest level tsunamis can be caused by an earthquake, but getting more in depth, the earthquake has a cause, that cause would be movement in tectonic plates, but what causes the movement in the tectonic plates? Is there a never ending cycle of events causing larger events causing larger events until one of them finally catches the human kinds notice and we take the incentive to do something about it. The moving of Tectonic plates is caused by something moving in one of the deeper layers of the earth. Something below the crust. The reason small movements are able to create earthquakes is that because the top 40 killometers of the earths crust are made up of tectonic plates, which rest upon magma which is constantly moving and so moving the plates. So, when a tectonic plate does get moved, it creates an earthquake, which creates an tsunami.

Damage from the tsunami can be very significant. But this damage does NOT seem all that significant to the environment .But behind the scenes lurks hidden damage. All of the damage from the tsunami, such as all the destroyed buildings, with fluids draining from these and leaking back into the ocean, into other farm land, or into rural areas. All of the fluids leaking from the buildings can harshly damage the environment by flooding into the oceans, where it may be drunk by sea creatures, or flowing into the farm land or just fields where it may ruin perfectly good soil. Not only does this damage the fish and ocean environment but it damages the human environment by ruining the economy. After the East India Tsunami the sea exports coming from East India took a hit of 30%. This was mainly because consumers were afraid the fish would be contaminated by the thousands of dead bodies which were washed out to sea.

Tsunamis are also effected by the miles of coral reef often surrounding the places where tsunamis are likely to hit. Without coral reef the damage from a tsunami would be many times greater to the environment. Many scientist believe that nature never totally destroys itself, it always has a way to rebuild itself after a natural disaster, or has a way of preventing excess damage in the first place. Take in a forest the cycle of life, the forest starts out with just grass and things like fireweed, this makes a perfect living and growing environment for when small bushes and trees, which then makes way for larger trees, until eventually a forest fire destroys the forest. This makes way for very rich soil and lets grass grow again which starts the chain over. Tsunamis have relation to that cycle in that nature prevents demolishing it self by using its coral reef to slow down the tsunami. We know that it is true that the coral reefs reduced damage done by the tsunami because where there where healthy coral reefs, the damage was not as bad (during resent East Asia tsunami) The reason the coral reefs can effect the tsunami is that the reef structure absorbs some of the wave energy before it reaches shore. Two islands in the the east of east Asia called Andoman and Nickobar, which home nearly 200 different types of coral reef, and nearly 400 types of fish species were nearly totally destroyed.Obviously the damage to the environment is very widespread. During the east Asia tsunami more than 350 sea turtles were killed. Many endangered hump back dolphins were also killed, and along with the damage to the endangered species much of the fresh water was poisoned with salt water and debris. The tsunami also turned once normal crop fields into lakes of sea water.The salt seriously damages the soil's ability to grow crops.